The plan was to build a 126,842 square foot Target store with a 10,000 square foot Garden center attached so the total size was to be 136,842 square feet. Also in the plan was to build four other retail buildings on the site. One of the other buildings is about 25,000. Two of the buildings are 7,500 square feet and the other building is 6,000 square feet. There is no knowledge as to what type of business will be in these buildings.

The city's Finance and Budget Commission and the Planning Commission have both rejected the project. The FBC in their analysis did not come to the conclusion that it would be a worthwhile economic benefit to Davis and the PC did not want to amend the General Plan. The Planning Commission also opposed such a development near a residential area, and also feared for the sake of Downtown because there is a lot of retail on the way in Davis that has not been built yet but has been approved. Retail like the Dollar Tree, a retail center on Alhambra Drive, and the proposal of over 200,000 square feet of retail at the abandoned Hunt Wesson Plant was considered.

The city council began public discussion at the June 13 meeting. On June 20 and 27, the council voted 4-1 to approve the proposal, with Sue Greenwald dissenting. The council also agreed 4-1 (Ted Puntillo dissenting) to limit store space that may be used for nontaxable grocery and pharmacy sales to 10% of total floor area each. For final approval, the proposal, known as Ordinance 2259 was passed by the voters in the November 2006 election. It was listed as Measure K on the ballot.

Pro

According to Target's statistics 270,000 people that get their credit card bills sent to to the 95616 zip made a purchase at either the Vacaville Target, the Woodland Target, or the closest Target in Sacramento. These 270,000 purchases are only with credit cards and do not include purchases made with cash or check and they also do not include anyone that lives in Davis but gets there credit card statements sent elsewhere (ie. parent's residence). This means there is a huge demand for a Target and having a Target in Davis would meet that demand.

How many people total live in the 95616 area code? 270,000 seems very high.

It is a tracking of purchases. That means, with the 60,000 or so folks living in 95616 they average 4.5 Target purchases annually.

The city is projected to make $500,000 to $800,000 annually from the sales tax Target will generate. Currently Davis citizens are already spending this money so it would essentially be keeping Davis sales tax dollars in Davis.

It would reduce the amount of gas consumption it takes for Davis residents to drive to Targets outside of Davis.

For students living on campus, with inherent transportation problems, the new site for the Target in Woodland (at I-5 and County Road 102) is roughly 11 miles away and the proposed Second Street Crossing site is roughly 4 miles away.

Con

The area is not currently zoned for retail use.

It is very close to many backyards in the Mace Ranch neighborhood and when these citizens purchased their homes they did not expect a big box retailer to pop up almost literally in their backyard.

It is huge!!!! The Target in Woodland is only 80,000 square feet.

It will only be a bronze status green building. This is the lowest possible status.

Some worry it may cause Urban Decay (This is debatable because of the amount of purchases Davis residents already make at Target although, because what is to be in the other buildings of the site is unknown, worrying about urban decay is a very sensible thing to do. Especially because about 150,000 square feet of retail has been approved by the Planning Commission over the last few months but has yet to be built yet.)

There is nothing anywhere near the size of a Target in Davis and it may change the "feel" of the town - and the perception of the town - as it would be the first thing people see of Davis as they drive west on I 80

Target is not a pro-Union employer.

Because of the location's "right off the freeway" access it will bring many people to Davis that do not have an interest in the community (unlike events connected to the University - such as Picnic Day or Whole Earth Festival or community events like the Turkey Trot or even Farmer's Market). There has been an increase in freeway crime, in which people drive along the interstate and commit crimes away from their hometown (such abandoning the car you stole in Roseville on Covell Blvd and stealing a new car for yourself on Olive); Target may increase the vulnerability of Davis to such crime activity.

Target will be just one of the many big box retailers in the area and will not contribute to diverse shopping options, in the area as a whole, that medium size retail would.